This invention relates to a refrigerated food module storage and dispensing apparatus for dispensing refrigerated foods, for example cold sandwiches or drinks, and/or frozen foods such as ice cream, from a vending machine. This invention further relates to a vending machine for dispensing refrigerated foods, and/or frozen foods, and unrefrigerated foods such as packaged snacks.
It is generally known that vending machines can provide a refrigerated section to keep products cold. For example, food vending machines are known for dispensing sandwiches or cold drinks by inserting coins or bills. It is also generally known to provide vending machines which dispense products which are not refrigerated. For example, candy or snack food packages are generally kept in a non-refrigerated vending machine. Very often it is desired to have both unrefrigerated and refrigerated foods dispensed and at the same physical location, such as in an employee kitchen. However, it is impractical due to space limitations to use both a refrigerated vending machine and an unrefrigerated vending machine. It is also impractical to exchange an entire non-refrigerated vending machine for an entire vending machine with refrigerated and unrefrigerated sections. Therefore, there is a need for a machine for dispensing refrigerated and non-refrigerated foods.
Coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,750 suggests a vending machine for dispensing refrigerated and unrefrigerated foods in which a separate housing within a vending machine has a door with spring means through which refrigerated products are dispensed. Coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,984 discloses a container storage and dispensing apparatus having an apparatus as found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,750 but also including a hot drink dispenser. However, the vending machine disclosed in these patents as well as presently available vending machines do not use a modular refrigerated storage and dispensing apparatus which may be transported to and installed in a variety of vending machines.
In addition, some presently available vending machines have refrigerated and unrefrigerated sections or areas, but require all the dispensed products to pass through both the refrigerated and unrefrigerated sections prior to dispensing. In these vending machines it is not possible to independently or separately dispense the product from the refrigerated and unrefrigerated sections.
Present vending machines are also available in which the selected foods are dispensed to separate receivers depending on whether or not they are refrigerated, thus, adding to the customer's inconvenience.
Other presently available vending machines as well as the incorporated vending machines have limited flexibility as to which types of products may be dispensed, for example, only beverage cans or a certain size of refrigerated snack. In these machines it is not possible, for example, to dispense a cold sandwich, a cold beverage, and a room temperature package of chips to a common receiving area from a single vending machine.
Very often the use of the non-refrigerated vending machine results in the candy or the like being destroyed because of melting, thus resulting in customer dissatisfaction or loss of the product. Because many unrefrigerated foods are most palatable at a temperature most near room temperature, it is generally not desirable to refrigerate this product at or near a temperature for which refrigerated foods are enjoyed. Therefore it is undesirable, for example, to place candy or the like in a refrigerated machine since these machines typically cool to around 35-45 F. It is also desirable to have a refrigerated area within an unrefrigerated vending machine capable of storing and dispensing a variety of refrigerated foods. It is also desirable that existing unrefrigerated machines be easily converted to have a refrigerated area.